MP Edward Vaizey last week introduced a motion recognizing (sigh, recognising) games recently honored (sigh, honoured) by BAFTA. He also used the motion to decry "the complete lack of support from Government" of the industry.
Fable II (Lionhead Studios), Race Driver: GRID (Codemasters) and LittleBigPlanet (Media Molecule) were all developed at UK studios, and all won at this year's Bafta Video Games Awards. Vaizey, a Conservative, singled them out for praise) in his motion in the House of Common. Eleven members supported the motion.
Here is its full text:
That this House notes the importance of the video games sector to the UK economy; congratulates the winners and nominees at this year's Bafta Video Games Awards; notes in particular the success of UK developed games, including Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet, Codemasters' Race Driver: GRID and Lionhead Studios' Fable II, all of which won awards; applauds this recognition of the continued success and significance of video games despite the complete lack of support from Government; regrets the fact that this lack of support from Government has seen the UK fall from being the third largest producer of video games in the world to the fifth largest; and urges the Government to devise a clear and supportive strategy for the UK video games sector as part of the Digital Britain review.
Other MPs have also decried the Government's lack of interest in seeing its development industry thrive.
Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, the day's first motion expressed the House's "great shock and sorrow" at the shooting in Germany, which authorities there pinned on the gaming habit of a disturbed teenager.
Fable II, LBP, GRID Receive Kudos in Parliament [GamePolitics]